"Professor! Do you really think that our arriving, in the twilight that passes as an Alaskan summer night, on what doubles for the main street of the settlement, would go without comment?"

"That's two wrong. Better break the pattern. Did you miss me as much as I missed you?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

"Thanks, I needed that. Now, tell me how we can sneak in without being noticed."

"I guess we could float down the Hootalinqua River. It flows right through the base."

"That's it. We'll go as soon as I take another look at Anthoney's survey crew —you been keeping notes?— while you let it be known that Big isn't feeling well. Let Junior in on what is happening and have him suggest, in front of Anthoney, that you had best take lamebrain here in for a visit to the vet.

At the cabin, grab my pack, hiking boots, sleeping bags, stove, mountain tent. Sneak all of that into the feed compartment of the horse trailer... you have driven with a trailer before?"

"No."

"Fortunately, Big has ridden in one. Ask him how it's done."

"Silly goose."

"Hey, Buttons, I thought you didn't want any name calling? Seriously, what is the purpose of Anthoney's men pounding the ground?"

"Sir, a 10 pound sledge hammer is used to hit a steel plate which generates shock waves, which are received and measured by a Soiltest MD-5 surface, or 'thumper' model, seismograph. The velocity of return for snow and ice is 5,000 feet per second; glacial till is 8,000 feet per second; and a bedrock of basalt is 12,000 feet per second. By plotting the time of return of the shock wave signal, it is possible to map a bedrock profile showing the likely points where heavy gold bars, and, hopefully, the lighter airplane wreckage, would tend to be trapped during the flowing action of a moving glacier."

"Wow! Looks as if I've got myself quite a partner. Guess I won't waste time taking another look-see. After you leave Big at the vet's for observation —boy, won't lazybones love that?— meet me at Uncle Only's. By the way, how is their survey coming along?"

"Well you know, and I know, that they are thumping away at the wrong hollow log. This here rabbit is dammed worried about Anthoney's reaction when he finds that out."